For anyone who is up to date at all on college football, they have to know the name Fordham now. The Rams have ascended in a major way and have truly made a name for themselves. They have gone from being the hunters and sneaking up on teams to being the hunted with the biggest target in their conference. Now every team on their 2014 schedule will be looking to prove a point by beating the Rams. (But as a devoted and hopeful fan I know my boys are going to deliver and have another historic season.)

Now let me just list some of the many team highlights of the 2013 season:

Averaged 37.6 points-per-game

Scored 67 touchdowns

2,162 rushing yards

5,052 passing yards

Recorded 25 sacks

3 1,000+ yard wide receivers, 1 1,000+ yard rusher

Scored 50+ points 5 times accumulating 526 points for the season and breaking the school record of 418 set by the 2003 squad

Set school single season records with 7,214 total yards of offense completely destroying the former mark of 5,377 set by the 2009 team, and 5,052 passing yards, shattering the former record of 3,708 also set in 2009

34 members with 3.00+ GPA

22 players named to 2013 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll

Ranked #9 in the final 2013 NCAA FCS Sports Network Poll and #10 in the NCAA FCS Coaches Poll, the highest ranking ever for the Rams at the end of the year (the previous best was 12th following the 2002 season)

Won first 10 straight games of the year for the first time in school history

Were ranked as high as fifth in the NCAA FCS polls, Fordham’s highest ever ranking on the FCS level

First irst win over an NCAA FBS team (Temple)

First win over a top-ten ranked NCAA FCS team on Jack Coffey Field (Villanova)

First ever home NCAA FCS championship win on Jack Coffey Field (Sacred Heart)

Set the school single season rushing record in 2012 with 1,596 yards and graduated with 3,283 career rushing yards, 2nd best in school history

Sam Ajala, Junior WR:

Fordham Offensive Player of the Year

All-Patriot League First Team

ECAC D1 FCS All-Star Team

Beyond Sports Network All-American

Sports Network All-American

College Sports Madness All-American

Fabulous Fifty FCS All-American

Associated Press All-American

93 passes for 1,646 yards, both team highs, with 14 touchdowns breaking Javarus Dudley’s school record of 1,439 receiving yards and tied Dudley’s school mark for receiving touchdowns in a season, both set in 2003

2nd in NCAA FCS in total receiving yards, 2nd in Patriot League, and 4th in the NCAA FCS in receiving yards per game with 117.6

Tied for 4th in top 20 nationally in receiving touchdowns and 12th in receptions per game

Brian Wetzel, Junior WR:

All-Patriot League Second Team

89 receptions for 1,094 yards and 14 touchdowns (tied for team lead and tied school record with 14 touchdown catches)

Averaged 6.4 receptions per game, 4th in the Patriot League and 19th in the NCAA FCS

Tied for most in League history for Patriot League Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against

FBS Temple – 11 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble

FCS Georgetown – 14 tackles,1 sack

FCS Holy Cross – 15 tackles, 4 for loss, 1 forced fumble

Dan Light, Junior TE:

All-Patriot League First Team

1 of 14 spots on the Academic All-Patriot League Team

ECAC D1 FCS All-Star Team

Beyond Sports Network All-American

Fabulous Fifty FCS All-American

66 receptions for 588 yards (both 4th best on team) and 2 touchdowns. Led all NCAA FCS tight ends with 66 receptions which is also a school record for tight ends while the 588 yards is the 2nd best season for a tight end in school history

Averaged 4.7 receptions per game, 8th in the Patriot League

Averaged 42.0 receiving yards per game, 10th in the Patriot League

Jordan Chapman, Junior DB:

Fordham Special Teams Player of the Year

All-Patriot League Second Team

Blocked a field goal attempt on the last play of the game against Bucknell that secured Fordham’s 23-21 win and a 10-0 season-opening win streak for the Rams

Recorded 64 total tackles (5th on the team), 54 solo, including two for loss, 5 interceptions (tied for team lead), 11 pass deflections (2nd on team), 2 fumble recoveries

Jorge Solano, Freshman WR:

Caught 10 passes for 116 yards and 1 score

Returned 43 kickoffs for 909 yards (both single season school records), averaging 21.1 yards per return (5th in Patriot League), and 1 touchdown

Returned opening kickoff 96 yards for a score at Saint Francis

Michael Marando, Junior K:

All-Patriot League First Team

Connected on 19 of his 26 field goal attempts (2nd most in school history) and 63 of his 64 PATs beating school record of 47 by Micah Clukey in 2003

Recorded his second 100-yard rushing game (1 of just 2 Fordham quarterbacks to rush for over 100 yards in game) with a 102-yard game versus Villanova

But the Fordham Football Rams are not just awesome for what they do on the field; they are amazing for what they do off the field as well.

The Rams officially adopted 12-year-old Jonah Shainberg through the Friends of Jaclyn Foundation. Jonah was diagnosed with a brain tumor 7 years ago and underwent a wide array of treatments for 2 years. The tumor caused Jonah to suffer a serious stroke which left the right side of his body quite weakened. He had been undergoing therapy to regain control of his right side.

Jonah and his father Joshua attended one of Fordham’s practices as they prepared for the game against Temple which was held at the Philadelphia Eagles stadium. At the end of the team’s practice, the squad ran a play where quarterback Michael Nebrich handed the ball to Jonah who raced 60 yards for the touchdown. The rest of the team met Jonah in the end zone and proceeded to carrying him to the locker room on their shoulders.

Jonah bravely spoke to the team about his illness and expressed his excitement to be involved with the Rams. He also led the team breakdown. Afterwards captains Jake Rodriques, Ian Williams, Steven Tapia, and Carlton Koonce led Jonah to his new locker which was full of Fordham football goodies including t-shirts, sweatshirts, and hats as well as a signed football. Jonah was thrilled to be a part of the team and the boys were more than happy to be around someone with such a positive attitude. They developed a very strong connection throughout the season and Jonah continues to inspire the team with his spirit.

The Fordham Football team has a chapter of Uplifting Athletes that raised money and awareness for extra renal rhabdoid tumors. They selected this rare disease in honor of a boy named Ty Campbell whom the team adopted in 2011 but passed from an aggressive cancer called Chordoma.

Uplifting Athletes is a national nonprofit organization that aligns college football with rare diseases. Each campus chapter is run directly by football student-athletes who work to raise awareness of the chosen rare disease through outreach, research, education and advocacy. These rare diseases affect less than 200,000 Americans and so very little attention is paid to them, but that doesn’t mean they are not important so Fordham football is did a great service by holding special events, fundraising campaigns and awareness drives to attract fans and media, which in turn made their chosen rare disease more popular and generated new money for research.

The Rams truly are an organization for the people. The boys are always so willing to help and do it with smiles on their faces. They are big fans of contributing to the community and using their skills to help those around them which is part of the university’s tradition of teaching cura personalis and magis.

A group of Rams periodically go to a POTS soup kitchen to volunteer with the homeless and the needy. They are also part of the Jump Start program in the Bronx where they read to kids. They host football workshops of sorts to show the kids in the community proper technique such as the Passing Demonstration at the Bronx Terminal Market. The Rams also volunteered their time for Sandy relief helping break down worn homes and cleaning up the area to allow for rebuilding. They even host an annual “Be The Match” bone marrow drive and so much more.

The Fordham Football Rams are a great group of guys. The 2013 Rams will never be forgotten because they gave Fordham the most exhilarating year they’ve ever seen and made every single member of the university truly #ProudToBeARam!

I am the biggest Ram fan around. I eat, sleep, and breathe Fordham. No one represents my school more than I do. No one has more Fordham pride.

My dedication to my university is serious. I am a rising senior who is proud to say that I have not missed a football game since my freshman year. I have lost my voice a countless number of times cheering on my team and screaming at the opposing players. It truly is a rush.

Freshman year, I started by recruiting people to comes to the games with me. I’d even try to get people to buy and wear the same gear to the games so we could all look like a unit in support of our Rams. And of course, mascot pictures were necessary.

The team only won 1 game my freshman year……but that did not stop me from going to every single game. And still taking more pictures with the mascot. But with a 1-10 season, it was difficult for me to convince people to come to games because they just thought we were going to lose again. Unfortunately they were right freshman year.

Then my sophomore year a whole new coaching staff came in including new head coach Joe Moorhead whose alma mater is Fordham and he was a quarterback here. The man is an absolute genius. He plays such smart football. The team quickly went from a 1-10 season to a 6-5 winning season, the second biggest turnaround in all of FCS history. They even shut out Lock Haven 55-0 during the first game, a huge boost of morale for the team. How sweet was the ringing of the victory bell that night, a long held Fordham tradition.

With the boys winning more games and showing some promise, it was a little easier to get people to come to the games. The crowd seemed to be really into our team, and really not supportive of the opposing teams. By that, I mean the heckling got crazy. That’s just part of the game though.

The boys only lost conference games by a collective 8 points all season. Those 8 points cdould have given them a 9-2 season. Coach Moorhead took that idea to heart and the next year put a lot of emphasis on the details. He told the team to focus on the hurdle in front of them before looking at the next one or they were likely to trip. And focus they did.

My junior year the Rams won game after game game. Celebrations were definitely in order and the Ram fans were now confident and overjoyed that their team had become such a stunner. The stands at Jack Coffey Field became so full for every single game to the point where standing room only tickets had to be sold. The Rams had become a hot commodity.

But support did not stop at Jack Coffey field. Fans willingly took trips to support their tea, during the away games. Various trips. The hours driving or sitting on a bus did not matter to the fans who were just happy to finally be able to have a football team they could boast about and be proud of. It was a really beautiful sight. Fans like me even went above and beyond and made signs for the different games to show the boys that we were really on their side.

Hail, men of Fordham, hail! Every traditional song was sang. Every regular football chant was chanted. And many, many new chants came about. The 12-2, 2013 football season was one that will not easily be forgotten.

Look out for my next article where I will highlight the standouts of the 2013 season.

This is something I wrote to the Fordham University Football squad after their loss to Towson University in the second round of playoffs last season in December of 2013. I think it would be a good addition to the body of work on my blog.

To the Fordham Football squad:

I am extremely proud of each and every single one of you. You gave this university the most exhilarating season it has ever seen!!! You put us through some scary moments throughout the season but always found a way to come out on top. Even with the conclusion of the postseason you’ve still come out on top because YOU HAVE MADE HISTORY. You broke so many records and packed Jack Coffey Field game after game with fans ecstatic to see you play and willingly sacrificing their voices to cheer you on as loud as possible! You played amazing football and paid attention to the details. You put your heart and soul into the game and a fan could ask for nothing more. You have done incredible things not only for football but for Fordham athletics and the university as a whole.

To the seniors that are leaving us, congratulations on an amazing Fordham Football career. Thank you so much for being leaders and doing all you have done for the squad. You leave champions in our hearts. You will be missed dearly, but the 2013 Rams will never be forgotten. Ever. Once a Ram, always a Ram. Best wishes on all your future endeavors.

To those who will remain on the team next year, this is just the beginning. There are even bigger things in store for Fordham Football. You have been blessed with a team and a coaching squad that refuses to give up. Next year we are going to take our division by storm! But always remember to focus on the hurdle directly in front of you before you look at the next one. Step by step you will be even more amazing than you were this year. You are all so talented and have the potential to do incredible things. I am more than confident that next year will be another one for the books.

All eyes were on you this year. The team had a 1-10 season just two years ago. Then the new coaching staff came in and has been doing a phenomenal job ever since. You had the second biggest turnaround in FCS history with a 6-5 winning record. This year you got more wins than the past two years combined!!! 11-1 in the regular season and making it to the second round of the playoffs surpassed anyone’s expectations. There is nothing but pride at Fordham for you guys. You literally put Fordham on the map and had all eyes on you. You even became a fan favorite! People went from doubting you to having the confidence that you could overcome any obstacle in your path. You all have truly impressed everyone this year. Thank you, thank you, thank you for giving fans something to look forward to every Saturday. There is no feeling like watching you tear up the gridiron knowing that you are feeding off the energy of the fans!

It has been both a pleasure and a privilege to call myself a Fordham Football Ram fan. You should all be extremely proud of yourselves. I know I am. I am absolutely ecstatic to see what you can all do next season and will forever be #ProudToBeARam.